Advent Wk 2 2025- The Gift of Movement
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A Life of Movement: Embracing God's Dynamic Call
Life presents us with three fundamental approaches: we can be static, reactive, or intentional. The static life remains unmoved, like a statue observing the world without engaging. The reactive life responds only to emergencies, constantly in damage control mode. But there exists a third way—a life of intentional movement, guided by divine purpose and empowered by the Holy Spirit.
This intentional, dynamic life is what God calls us toward. It's a life that doesn't simply react to circumstances but moves with purpose, preparing for possibilities and engaging meaningfully with the world around us.
The Pattern of Divine Movement
Throughout Scripture, we see a consistent pattern: God's people are people of movement. In Exodus 40:34-38, we witness the Israelites following God's presence through the wilderness. A cloud covered the tabernacle by day, and fire illuminated it by night. The instructions were clear—when the cloud lifted, they moved. When it settled, they stayed.
This wasn't aimless wandering. It was purposeful movement under divine guidance. The Israelites learned to watch, wait, and respond to God's leading. They weren't static, permanently planted in one location. Nor were they chaotically reactive, moving without direction. Instead, they moved with intention, following the visible presence of God.
The same principle applies to our spiritual lives today. We're called to watch for God's movement, to rest when He indicates rest, and to move when He calls us forward. This requires attentiveness, spiritual sensitivity, and a willingness to follow wherever He leads.
The First Evangelists
The shepherds in Luke 2:8-18 provide a beautiful picture of this dynamic movement. These ordinary workers, tending their flocks in the fields at night, encountered something extraordinary. Angels appeared, announcing the birth of the Savior with glory that shone around them. The message was clear: "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people."
What happened next reveals the pattern of spiritual movement. The shepherds didn't remain static in their fields, paralyzed by the experience. They responded with intentional action: "Let us go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened."
They moved. They sought out the Christ child. They witnessed the fulfillment of the angelic announcement. But their movement didn't stop there. After experiencing this divine encounter, they spread the word, telling everyone what they had seen and heard. They became the first evangelists of the gospel message.
This pattern is instructive: experience leads to movement, which leads to sharing. When we truly encounter God, we're compelled to tell others about it.
Movement Sparks Movement
There's a principle at work here that even science recognizes: movement creates movement. In physics, every action produces an equal and opposite reaction. A ball on a string, when pushed one direction, swings back the other way.
Spiritually, this principle holds true. When God moves in our hearts, it should spark movement in our lives. When we experience His love, grace, and transformation, it should propel us toward others who need that same hope.
Think about everyday experiences. When you discover an exceptional restaurant, you can't wait to tell others about it. You describe the atmosphere, the service, the food, the entire experience. Then you encourage your friends: "You have to go there. You need to experience it yourself."
The same enthusiasm should characterize our spiritual lives. When we experience God's goodness, His presence, His transforming power, we should be eager to share that good news with others. Yet often, when it comes to matters of faith, we become hesitant, cautious, even fearful.
Beyond the Sanctuary Walls
A common misconception limits our understanding of church and worship. We sometimes think our primary purpose is to gather in a building, sing songs, pray, read Scripture, and then return home until next week. We treat church as a sanctuary—a safe place to escape life's challenges and recharge.
While rest and corporate worship are important, they're not the entirety of our calling. We gather to encounter God, to draw near to Him, to be filled with His presence. But then we're sent out. The sanctuary experience prepares us for movement.
We are called to be God's temple wherever we go. His presence resides within us, which means we carry His sanctuary into every interaction, every relationship, every corner of our lives. We don't wait for people to come through church doors. We take the hope, healing, and love of Christ to them.
Relational Living
Making disciples—the Great Commission given in Matthew 28—isn't about knocking on doors with a rehearsed presentation. It's about relational living. It's being present in people's lives through all the messiness, struggles, joys, and ordinary moments. It's loving people unconditionally, just as God loves us.
This kind of movement requires courage. It means engaging with people who may not always be receptive. It means offering hope to those who might reject it. It means extending love when it's not returned. It means being patient, understanding, and willing to give people space when needed.
Relational living means remembering that we too once struggled, once didn't understand, once felt the weight of shame and guilt. God met us in that place and transformed us. Now He calls us to extend that same grace to others.
Listening for the Call
Living a life of movement requires spiritual attentiveness. We must learn to distinguish when God is calling us to stay and when He's calling us to move. There are times for silence, for reverence, for being still in His presence. There are other times when He prompts us to speak, to act, to engage.
This isn't about our own strength or abilities. When we move in the power of the Holy Spirit, we never move wrongly. Our limitations become irrelevant because we're operating in His limitless power.
Each of us has a unique circle of influence—people who only we can reach. There are individuals in your life who need to see God's love demonstrated through you. Your story, your experience, your expression of faith is uniquely positioned to impact someone else.
The Invitation to Move
God doesn't want us to be stagnant ponds with no inlet or outlet, slowly dying from lack of flow. He wants us to be living streams—constantly receiving from Him and constantly flowing out to others. This dynamic movement brings life, vitality, and flourishing.
The invitation stands before us: Will we listen? Will we pay attention to God's movement? Will we go where He sends us, say what He prompts us to say, and love whom He calls us to love?
The world around us—both believers and non-believers—desperately needs people who will be places of healing and hope. Not buildings, but living, breathing sanctuaries of God's presence, offering unconditional love and pointing toward the One who transforms lives.
This is the gift of movement—not aimless activity, but purposeful, Spirit-led engagement with the world. It's the call to experience God deeply and then share that experience generously. It's the invitation to follow the pattern of the shepherds: encounter, move, witness, and tell.
The question remains: Will you move?
Life presents us with three fundamental approaches: we can be static, reactive, or intentional. The static life remains unmoved, like a statue observing the world without engaging. The reactive life responds only to emergencies, constantly in damage control mode. But there exists a third way—a life of intentional movement, guided by divine purpose and empowered by the Holy Spirit.
This intentional, dynamic life is what God calls us toward. It's a life that doesn't simply react to circumstances but moves with purpose, preparing for possibilities and engaging meaningfully with the world around us.
The Pattern of Divine Movement
Throughout Scripture, we see a consistent pattern: God's people are people of movement. In Exodus 40:34-38, we witness the Israelites following God's presence through the wilderness. A cloud covered the tabernacle by day, and fire illuminated it by night. The instructions were clear—when the cloud lifted, they moved. When it settled, they stayed.
This wasn't aimless wandering. It was purposeful movement under divine guidance. The Israelites learned to watch, wait, and respond to God's leading. They weren't static, permanently planted in one location. Nor were they chaotically reactive, moving without direction. Instead, they moved with intention, following the visible presence of God.
The same principle applies to our spiritual lives today. We're called to watch for God's movement, to rest when He indicates rest, and to move when He calls us forward. This requires attentiveness, spiritual sensitivity, and a willingness to follow wherever He leads.
The First Evangelists
The shepherds in Luke 2:8-18 provide a beautiful picture of this dynamic movement. These ordinary workers, tending their flocks in the fields at night, encountered something extraordinary. Angels appeared, announcing the birth of the Savior with glory that shone around them. The message was clear: "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people."
What happened next reveals the pattern of spiritual movement. The shepherds didn't remain static in their fields, paralyzed by the experience. They responded with intentional action: "Let us go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened."
They moved. They sought out the Christ child. They witnessed the fulfillment of the angelic announcement. But their movement didn't stop there. After experiencing this divine encounter, they spread the word, telling everyone what they had seen and heard. They became the first evangelists of the gospel message.
This pattern is instructive: experience leads to movement, which leads to sharing. When we truly encounter God, we're compelled to tell others about it.
Movement Sparks Movement
There's a principle at work here that even science recognizes: movement creates movement. In physics, every action produces an equal and opposite reaction. A ball on a string, when pushed one direction, swings back the other way.
Spiritually, this principle holds true. When God moves in our hearts, it should spark movement in our lives. When we experience His love, grace, and transformation, it should propel us toward others who need that same hope.
Think about everyday experiences. When you discover an exceptional restaurant, you can't wait to tell others about it. You describe the atmosphere, the service, the food, the entire experience. Then you encourage your friends: "You have to go there. You need to experience it yourself."
The same enthusiasm should characterize our spiritual lives. When we experience God's goodness, His presence, His transforming power, we should be eager to share that good news with others. Yet often, when it comes to matters of faith, we become hesitant, cautious, even fearful.
Beyond the Sanctuary Walls
A common misconception limits our understanding of church and worship. We sometimes think our primary purpose is to gather in a building, sing songs, pray, read Scripture, and then return home until next week. We treat church as a sanctuary—a safe place to escape life's challenges and recharge.
While rest and corporate worship are important, they're not the entirety of our calling. We gather to encounter God, to draw near to Him, to be filled with His presence. But then we're sent out. The sanctuary experience prepares us for movement.
We are called to be God's temple wherever we go. His presence resides within us, which means we carry His sanctuary into every interaction, every relationship, every corner of our lives. We don't wait for people to come through church doors. We take the hope, healing, and love of Christ to them.
Relational Living
Making disciples—the Great Commission given in Matthew 28—isn't about knocking on doors with a rehearsed presentation. It's about relational living. It's being present in people's lives through all the messiness, struggles, joys, and ordinary moments. It's loving people unconditionally, just as God loves us.
This kind of movement requires courage. It means engaging with people who may not always be receptive. It means offering hope to those who might reject it. It means extending love when it's not returned. It means being patient, understanding, and willing to give people space when needed.
Relational living means remembering that we too once struggled, once didn't understand, once felt the weight of shame and guilt. God met us in that place and transformed us. Now He calls us to extend that same grace to others.
Listening for the Call
Living a life of movement requires spiritual attentiveness. We must learn to distinguish when God is calling us to stay and when He's calling us to move. There are times for silence, for reverence, for being still in His presence. There are other times when He prompts us to speak, to act, to engage.
This isn't about our own strength or abilities. When we move in the power of the Holy Spirit, we never move wrongly. Our limitations become irrelevant because we're operating in His limitless power.
Each of us has a unique circle of influence—people who only we can reach. There are individuals in your life who need to see God's love demonstrated through you. Your story, your experience, your expression of faith is uniquely positioned to impact someone else.
The Invitation to Move
God doesn't want us to be stagnant ponds with no inlet or outlet, slowly dying from lack of flow. He wants us to be living streams—constantly receiving from Him and constantly flowing out to others. This dynamic movement brings life, vitality, and flourishing.
The invitation stands before us: Will we listen? Will we pay attention to God's movement? Will we go where He sends us, say what He prompts us to say, and love whom He calls us to love?
The world around us—both believers and non-believers—desperately needs people who will be places of healing and hope. Not buildings, but living, breathing sanctuaries of God's presence, offering unconditional love and pointing toward the One who transforms lives.
This is the gift of movement—not aimless activity, but purposeful, Spirit-led engagement with the world. It's the call to experience God deeply and then share that experience generously. It's the invitation to follow the pattern of the shepherds: encounter, move, witness, and tell.
The question remains: Will you move?
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